Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi presented a new publication “EU Glossary” to Ivanka Popovic Rector of the University of Belgrade and made a donation of 50 English titles on the subject of EU policies to Dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences Dragan Simic.

Marking the release of the 251-term “EU Glossary,” authored by Serbian experts, a debate titled “Let’s talk about the EU” took place at the Rectorate. Apart from students from Belgrade and Novi Sad, the debate was joined by Popovic and Fabrizi as well.

The editor of the book, Associate Professor of the Law Faculty of Economy and Justice in Novi Sad, Vladimir Medovic, said that the “EU Glossary” was conceived as a comprehensive dictionary of the EU that should contribute to better understanding of what the EU is doing today and of Serbia’s EU accession process, what the EU expects from Serbia on that path, and what we as citizens can expect from this process.

Medovic added that the “EU Glossary” is intended for students, scholars, civil servants, journalists and everyone else interested in the process of European integration and functioning of the EU.

Fabrizi emphasized that he human capital is key for development of any society, including Serbia and that the EU is very dedicated to supporting the Serbian educational system for the last 16 years. For that purpose, he said, the EU has so far invested EUR80 million, especially in the field of secondary education, higher education and social inclusion.

Fabrizi also recalled about the Erasmus program, in which Serbia participates successfully, and added that Serbia will be part of the Erasmus+ program in 2019 and contribute to as any other EU member. Not being an EU member and being this successful is a great success and recognition for any country, he emphasized.

According to Fabrizi, since 2001, the Programme has invested a couple of hundred millions of euros to help around 5,500 students from Serbia to study abroad.

Fabrizi invited students to get acquainted with the content of the “EU Glossary” because, as he puts it, it is important to know what the European Union means and to “see where Serbia is headed”.

The Dean of Faculty of Political Sciences Dragan Simic pointed out that the University of Belgrade and the EU Delegation have established a longstanding collaboration implementing projects in the area of science and education.

He mentioned the latest project the two worked together on, titled “Europe for Me,” wherein they talked to young people from across Serbia about EU values and standards and different perceptions of the EU, with a goal to bring that knowledge closer to people.

The rector of the University of Belgrade reminded that the institution marks 210 years of existence and that today it is “100,000-students and 5,000-teachers and associates strong”.

“Before us lies a huge responsibility to secure the development of our country and to have all the rights and possibilities as all parts of Europe. It is up to your generation to help that we all achieve that goal together. I hope that you will use this opportunity to read this Glossary and learn how the EU works, so that we all can work together the best way possible,“ said Popovic to the students and was later joined by Ambassador Fabrizi for a discussion.